In The Light of A Candle
by tenkage onna
Summary: In the light of a candle, Lavi comes upon a realization, that he should have seen coming for years. AU, gore, myths. 3 shot
1. siren

its an idea i've had for a very long while. so uh...yeah. i know there are tons of different legends for any of these greek myths, and i just chose what i thought suited the characters best. since i find them all so interesting and the like...

warnings: AU, violence, gore, angst, dont eat while reading the siren part. if you mind character death, y'might also not wish to read.  
inspiration: i was studying sirens after beating god of war 1, and this sorta came to me.  
reasons: cause i wanna.  
rating: M? nah. T  
pairings: i dunno. none i dont think.  
summary:  
disclaimer: not mine, never will be.

sssssssss

onwards??

The sky was a murky grey, and fog drifted lazily across the ocean waves. The ship's wooden planks rocked gently under their feet, and a growing unease could be felt amongst the crew. Their captain waited anxiously on deck, pacing slowly. Through the thick veil of mist, they could see three islands, sharp rocks protruding from the choppy surface of the water.

"W-We're almost there captain." a man said, though the captain paid him no mind.

He was listening for the soft tunes, waiting for the lovely melody to float from the islands, where many ships could be seen. All of them crashed into rocks or half sunken under the waves. The crew swallowed, and stood rigid as they gazed upon this forsaken land. It was fabled, spoken of only amongst sailors, thus it was amazing that their captain, Cross Marian, had even heard of it. Cross had only set foot a few times on a ship, and when he heard of this tale, the tale of the Siren... he couldn't pass up the chance to see it.

Granted, only a fool would venture to this place willingly, he was willing to take that risk. Cross was a very important man in the city where he came from, and his king, who trusted him greatly for some reason or another, desired a priceless treasure. Cross had been at a loss, because there wasn't much he himself could easily get. The tale of the Siren, the three beautiful maidens whose voices were haunting but lovely, singing a melody that lead many a sailor to their deaths, caught his attention.

A passing story he had heard on accident down at the docks, and it was then that cross knew what to get for his king. And so, they sailed ever closer to the island. He frowned a little, listening closely, but still, he heard no singing. He was beginning to wonder if this had only been a legend, when the form of a figure could be seen on the cliffs of the island. The redheaded man's eyes widened behind his glasses, taking note of the thin figure, the long tresses whipping around in the wind. Perhaps it wasn't a legend.

The figure was gone quickly, the mist covering it up again, and he cursed a little. However, he smirked as well.

His dark eyes traced the shape of the ship, frown settled upon his face. It was coming right for his island, willingly. A light smirk graced his pale face. The crew and their captain and sponsor walked along the overgrown pathway, noting the human skulls that littered the ground. A few men gulped, and many whimpered. Cross didn't quite blame them, for the sight was rather grotesque. He sneered at them never the less and walked down the red stained pathway, stopping only when he heard a faint song.

Following it quickly, noting how it died out and then grew louder, he stumbled through the long grass and trees, uncaring of his crew. Cross slowed to a stop, frowning at the sight before him. The crew came up behind him and instantly a tremor went through them, some even shrieking at the sight before them. The meadow was covered in skulls, bones, and the grass had little green patches where the red didn't stain it. Cross felt more than a little uneasy, but he focused on the thing he came for, which stood in the middle of the remains.

Raising an eyebrow, he called, "So, you are the Siren?"

The Siren had an passive look on it's sharp features, and long black locks of hair fell around it's slim form, tumbling over it's shoulders. If Cross didn't know any better, he'd say this Siren was a woman. However, the Siren stood naked, and Cross could see all the proof he needed to know it was a male. The Siren took note of the gazes on him, and a frown settled on his face. He didn't much care for company, and he certainly didn't like his food gawking at him.

"I am." he said at last, and the men's gazes quickly snapped to his lips, shocked at how lovely his voice was.

Cross held back a grin, and stepped forward, into the field of death and over to the Siren. "I am Cross Marian, I've come from the mainland to speak with you." he said smoothly.

A glower held back the rest of the crew, but it seemed this redhead was unfazed by his sharp glare. He didn't give the man a reply. Cross held out his hand, and if he hadn't been so displeased with these living mortals coming onto his land, the Siren might have humored his food and shaken it. "I come in the name of my king, whose name you probably don't know of. He's heard tales of your lovely voice, and would like to meet you."

"Perhaps he's also heard of what happens to foolish humans who come here?" the Siren bit out, eyes narrowed.

"Ah, yes. He has. Provided you are the Siren, I've come to make a deal with you..." he snapped his fingers and several men were pushed forward, bound and gagged.

The Siren's eyes locked onto their fear stricken faces, and he felt his hunger arise. How long had it been since he'd last eaten anything... Cross smiled in what the Siren assumed must be charming. "You must be quite hungry." the man said, and the tied up men quickened their struggles. His eyes traced them, and his stomach ached for their flesh, and before anyone could blink, one man was headless. Cross winced at the muffled shrieks of horror as the men watched the Siren rip the man to pieces.

He bit into an arm, sharp fangs easily piercing the thick meat. It had been so long since he had last eaten, the taste of flesh and blood on his tongue almost made him swoon. Behind Cross, the crew paled and stood in place, to scared to run. They watched the creature before them feast on one of the men, whose head had rolled away to stare accusingly at them. The Siren's beautiful face was stained with dark red blood and while eating, it seemed he wasn't nearly as beautiful.

"So...what is it you wanted again?" the Siren asked at last, licking his lips and starting on the next man, ripping an arm off, uncaring of his agonized cries.

Cross winced. "Our king wishes to hear your melody. He sent me to take you back to him."

"Why should I return to a land I'm exiled from?"

"Because," Cross began, drawing the Siren's attention. "You must get awfully hungry here. If you come along with us, we're willing to feed you as much as you'd like."

His eyes flashed, and the redhead could see the hunger and greed in the creature's eyes. It seemed food was a good bargaining chip. "Oh?"

"Yes, in return for your services."

The Siren raised an eyebrow, "Services." he repeated skeptically. "I serve no one."

"Did you not once serve a goddess?" Cross asked, watching the Siren dab a sharp nail into the man's socket, drawing blood from him. He almost felt bad for him.

The Siren's eyes flashed, and he fixed a malicious gaze on him. "I did. However, she exiled me to these islands for not saving her daughter. She was a bitch, I don't regret not saving her as Hades dragged her with him."

Cross could see exactly why the goddess had put him here now. His long fangs were bared at the memory, and the armless man shrieked again as the Siren dug his claws into him. "Wouldn't you like to leave this place?" he asked, attempting to convince the male.

His gaze went blank, as he toyed with the thought of going along with him, chewing thoughtfully on the man's arm. "I rather like my island." he said, smiling an eerie smile. Cross took a step back, noting how he dropped the now half dead man.

"I don't like the idea of serving one of you filthy humans either. But I thank you for the food." the Siren said, standing up. The men began to step away, Cross caught in the middle.

"You'd be rather well off, are you sure-?"

"I think its time you leave me be now." the Siren hissed, and Cross felt only a smidget of fear.

Haunting singing echoed across the island, and that was the last time Cross and his men had ever been seen again. That night, the Siren ate well, and with the rising of the sun the next day, began his lonely wait for another ship.

ssssssss

anyone care to guess who that character was?? (looks around) twas kanda. i decided to leave him nameless in this x.x hopefully, it wasnt to awful. but yeah.

the sirens (three girls) were playmates of persephone, who was kidnapped by hades to become his wife. demeter, persephone's mother, was quite angry due to the fact that the sirens didnt attempt to help her, and turned the sirens into half women-half birds, and then put them on three islands (all next to each other). two legends i read said that the sirens sang to make demeter forgive them, and accidentally lured sailors to them. another says they sang to lure the men, because they're friggen hungry.

i chose the last one, cause i cant see kanda begging for forgiveness. i also cant quite see him caring that much about persephone or demeter. anywho, theres ya are.


	2. minotaur

aaaaaand chapter two. only three ne, so...

anywho!

warnings: spoilers to a greek myth? violence? angst?! are these any reason for a person to avoid a fanfic D (jk jk)  
inspiration: the siren part. and the song "lies".  
reason: because i can.  
rating: maaaybe T.  
pairings: none really.  
summary: "mom...when will i be free? i miss you..."  
disclaimer: not mine, never will be.

enjoy!

mmmmm

It was dark, and to anyone else, it would be almost impossible to see. He, however, had spent most of his young life in the labyrinth, and the darkness was clear as day to him. The sound of voices echoed through the passage ways, and his ears perked up. Voices meant people. People meant food. He stood slowly, his legs unused to walking and the lack of food weakening him. The wall was rough against his palm, but the minotaur didn't mind it. He made his way quietly to the voices, hooves scraping the ground almost silently.

They walked forward warily, unable to see anything in the darkness. If they didn't know any better, they would assume the point of the darkness was to hide something. The young humans made their way slowly through the labyrinth, torches in hand to light maybe a foot in front of them.

"S-So...do you think its true?" one girl asked.

"What?"

She fidgeted. "About the monster..."

Two males burst into laughter, and she instantly felt ashamed of herself. "A monster? Now thats truly something a woman would say!" one remarked.

"Oh no, a monster Whatever shall we do!" another male mimicked, laughing loudly.

The girl huffed, but said nothing. She looked off to her side, freezing. There, in the pale light of the torches, glowed white hair and a pair of horns. Shrieking, she dropped her torch, the flame flickering before going out. That was all it took for the creature to pounce. Her cries bouncing from the walls, and the group turned, casting their light on a creature with white hair and horns, a bulls lower body, devouring their friend. The white haired creature didn't care though, because he was so hungry, and he didn't care WHAT he was eating, so long as he ate.

They ran, leaving their dead friend in the hands of this creature, who stood oblivious to their screams. The minotaur hummed in ecstasy, chewing the meat slowly. Gods, he had missed the taste of flesh. He knew well enough what he was eating, but the shame of being a man-eating murderer had long since fled him. That wasn't to say he really enjoyed eating humans, but compared to mice, they were wonderful. When he lifted his gray eyes, the minotaur noted that the group had left their friend behind.

He sneered at this. Trust those sickening humans to worry only for themselves. He wasn't much better he knew, but he hadn't a choice in the matter. He ripped the girl to pieces and gathered her dismembered corpse up, intent on making sure he didn't waste her. Lord only knew how long it'd be till he next ate. He didn't know how many days passed down here, only that it was rare that he could actually eat. He'd capture the other humans later.

Setting the remains down, he settled down on the rough and dirty floor, absently nibbling on an arm. He hadn't always lived in here. Once, a long time ago, he had a mother, and he lived where the sun was always so bright. The other children didn't like him very much, claiming him a freak for his appearance, but his mother had loved him greatly. She had always played with him, treating him well, spoiling him even. He remembered that her embrace was warm and her voice soft in his delicate ears. She would sit him down, and gently brush out his long white hair, minding his horns and long ears.

According to his mother, his father had been a bull, a beautiful white bull that had come from the sea. She said that was why he smelled like the ocean, and why he had such beautiful white hair. He absently trailed a hand through his hair, careful to avoid using his bloody fingers, then gently touching the horns that protruded from his head. They were sharp, and he had to be careful when touching them. His own skin was a pale ivory, and even his fur covered lower body was a soft white.

The minotaur cursed the color white, and he cursed the bull that was his father. He cursed his step-father for sentencing him to this life, and he missed his mother greatly. For even if she cursed him with life, she was the only person who loved him. Tears began to well up in his tired gray eyes, but didn't fall. Nibbling on the arm, he bit down with his unnaturally sharp teethe, blooding filling his mouth and making him choke on the thick taste of copper. Suddenly, the tears began to roll down his cheeks, cutting paths in the thick red blood that coated his face. They dripped from his chin, red from the blood.

"Mom...when will I be free? I miss you..." he choked out, breath hitching.

The image of her smile came to mind, and with that, he began to close his eyes. Sleep. He needed to sleep, so that he could eat more later. The sounds of crunching dirt behind him never registered, and when the rock came down on his head, crushing his skull, he didn't even realize it until it was too late.

mmmmm

sya...i feel bad for the minotaur.

pretty much, a king prayed to a god (cant spell his name) and asked for a white bull to arise from the ocean as a sign that he was heard. then, he was supposed to sacrifice it, but instead kept it for its beauty. to punish him, the god made his wife fall madly in love with the bull, and a long story short, the minotaur popped out nine months later. cant remember too much, but the minotaur was kept alive for a for years above the surface as the labyrinth was created, and kids didnt like him. his mother played with him, and was the only one that loved him. when the labyrinth was finished, the minotaur was locked inside of it, and the king arranged it so that another kingdom would send over human sacrifices, thus, what really fed the minotaur. then one day, a "hero" came and attempted to off the minotaur in his sleep, but started a huge battle instead.

since i like the minotaur, i sorta changed the ending, cause it seemed to cruel to me.

the minotaur in this was allen (nods)


	3. candle

and now for teh last chapter! squeal.

warning: OOC? au  
inspiration: cant even remember DX  
reason: cause i wanna.  
rating:..not even T i dont think.  
pairings: none  
summary: by the light of a single candle, he watched their destined fates curl up and turn black.  
disclaimer: not mine, never will be.

and onward!!

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In all of his years, he had foreseen every last event. He had decided many fates, cut many strings, and had seen things most mortals never would. He had seen the rise and fall of great empires, wars that claimed thousands of lives, plagues that had spread like a wild fire. As a Fate, he had seen many things. And not one thing of it was a surprise nor did he feel any remorse for the threads of fate he had had a part in cutting. It was his duty after all, his job.

While browsing through the books of the old library, coming across names he hadn't heard in centuries, he found himself reminiscing. The first story he picked up, had been a book on ancient myths, the title amusing him. A rare true smile spread across his pale lips, finding that the truths of long ago, were now considered to be fiction. He knew it would happen. With the advancement of science, the new ideas and the spread of religions, the world around them had seemed less believable. Things they knew existed, but could not see (like this one "god" people spoke of now) no longer frightened them or mystified them, for they could not believe in them any longer.

As a Fate, he found it all silly. Their gods, the creatures that lived amongst them, they were all considered fiction. When in reality, they had some of those very creatures living within the walls of this religious order. Or rather, reincarnations, he supposed.

The Siren, the Minotaur, a nymph, even a former god. They either kept it a secret, or simply did not remember it. He looked over the neatly printed words, reading the myths he knew by heart over again. After all, even if he WAS a Fate, Lavi sometimes needed to poke at his memory. Not that he needed to, but he wanted to refresh the memories, remember his parts in them and the things that caused them.

The Minotaur. The first time in centuries that he had felt guilt for releasing the creature from its suffering, was when he came to the Black Order. When he came, messy white hair and a rumpled suit, Lavi felt something shatter in him. From a mile away, he could tell who this boy was, and he could swear he could smell the sea and blood on him. Lavi was staring at someone, who did not remember a thing. Who simply did not know what he was, had been.

Looking back, the redheaded Fate decided he should have seen this coming. The gods and creatures of long ago were not gone, simply they had been remade to fit their new god's liking. Allen Walker, was not the first recreation he had seen here, but he was the first to make him guilty. He smiled cheerfully, he talked a lot, he ate like a cow, but he was still hurt and depressed. Maybe more so than his life as a half bull had been. And all his hopes that the creature would be happy and laid to rest, went up in flames at the mere sight of the white haired boy.

As a fate, Lavi had a few powers. Not many, since his siblings were no longer around (they split up and left centuries ago), but he had a few. One, was foresight. Having the only eye that they were born with, he could see far into the future, he knew things that no one else could. The other, was what one would call divine intervention. He could stop a destined event before it even happened, and warp the future however he wished.

This, however, was the biggest no no in the nonexistent rule books.

To stop a destined path, to selfishly warp it, was against the codes long ago set by the gods. And Lavi had no desire to cross them, whether they'd know it happened or not. It was ethics you could say. Thats not to say he never wanted to use it. Long ago, he had stopped using his foresight, because it was just too much to see things every time he opened his eyes. Maybe it was weak, but he gave it a good run, he decided. He stopped using it in the 1600s.

Flipping a page, he noticed he had flipped to the nymph. He hummed a little. She was the first recreation he had met in the Order. Beautiful, hair flowing, he had at once known what she was. He couldn't remember WHO she was, but he knew she was a nymph. Lenalee Lee, the sister of the head supervisor, who could not leave the tower that was the Black Order.

A moment passed, and the Fate blinked. Ah yes, that jogged his memory. She was the one who had been hiding from their main god back in the day (all this memory stuff was making him feel old) for something she said. While she was no longer under his wrath, it seemed an entirely new "holy" group had seized her and decided she could never leave the Order.

He frowned a little, pushing back a sense of foreboding. The second recreation here he had met, who looked no different (save for the lack of claws and fangs) than the last time he'd seen the creature, was the Siren. He was still beautiful, still cold and biting to any who he didn't have a use for, however, his lovely voice was no longer. Lavi supposed it left him after centuries of desperate singing, because it now sounded rough. The haunting beauty, the ribbony water flow of his voice, was now little more than a vague ripple in a pond. It was the biggest change in the recreations that Lavi had seen.

Tapping his lip with a skinny finger, calloused from years of turning pages and snipping threads, Lavi tried to remember the name the Siren went by. His memory was failing him, he thought bitterly, finally remembering the Siren as Kanda Yuu. It seemed he was happy here, plenty of food to keep him happy and little to no human contact, however, Lavi's knowing eye saw through this. He was just as lonely and trapped as he had been on that island. He was cold to all, but the sorrow beneath the frigid loathing stood out to the Fate when he looked into his eyes.

Pausing on a worn yellow page, the redheaded Fate frowned deeply.

It seemed to him, that even though they had been freed from their previous suffering, those same fates still haunted their new lives. The forever hungry and depressed young Allen Walker, the forever trapped by the stronger humans and terribly sad Lenalee Lee, and the trapped and hungry for more than food Kanda Yuu. They hadn't escaped their previous lives at all. If anything, they were reliving them in a different story.

Lavi stared at the page before him, the letters meaning nothing to him. By the light of a single candle that sat on the desk, he could see the lives time and fate had never intended to let go of. He could see them withering slowly, crying out for help and getting none where it mattered. The book burned slowly, the pages twisting under the gluttonous flames that ate up the history of these individuals.

By the light of a single candle, he watched their destined fates curl up and turn black.

CCCCCC

OMG i know, cheesy. but fun. sorta.


End file.
